In a principal aspect the present invention comprises a stringed instrument, such as a guitar, having an ergonomic design to facilitate comfort when the instrument is being played. The construction is especially applicable to an acoustic instrument.
Stringed instruments have an extremely long and varied history. In ancient times a lyre constituted a type of stringed instrument wherein the strings were generally mounted in a parallel array on a frame so that they could be easily plucked to provide sound as a result of string vibration. Over time, stringed instruments were mounted on a body or a sounding board with an acoustic chamber to facilitate propagation of the sound generated by plucking or other means of effecting vibration of the strings, for example, by means of a bow as with a violin. During the twentieth century and with the development of acoustic sensitive microphones, a range of electric stringed instruments such as electric guitars has become popular, though acoustic instruments still remain popular.
Instrumentalists who are skilled in the playing of a stringed instrument often are faced with the necessity to contort portions of their body such as their fingers, wrists, arms and the like in order to properly play the stringed instrument. As a consequence, various maladies may be contracted by the instrumentalist such as carpal tunnel syndrome. In order to combat such circumstances, ergonomically designed stringed instruments have been proposed. Various approaches have been suggested with respect to such designs including suggestions incorporated in the following patents:
Patent No.TitleIssue Date6,657,112 B1Note Bending by Neck PivotingDec. 02, 20036,034,308Ergonomic String InstrumentMar. 07, 20005,852,249Elongated String Support for aDec. 22, 1998Stringed Musical Instrument4,311,078Bow Playable GuitarJan. 19, 19823,785,239Fret Board For GuitarJan. 15, 19743,739,072Guitar ConstructionJun. 12, 19733,398,623Musical InstrumentsAug. 27, 19683,398,622Musical InstrumentsAug. 27, 1968
Other stringed instrument designs have been suggested to enhance the playability of the instruments such as configuring the instrument in a manner that facilitates playability. Following are some of the patents which could be classified as having such features:
Patent No.TitleIssue Date6,573,439 B2Ergonomic Multi-Position Guitar withJun. 03, 2003Locking Fingertip Tremolo and PickHolders5,994,633Stringed Musical InstrumentsNov. 30, 19995,637,820Stringed Instrument with On-BoardJun. 10, 1997Tuner5,528,971Musical Instrument HavingJun. 25, 1996Stabilization Apparatus4,890,530Stringed Musical InstrumentJan. 02, 19904,339,981Soft Body GuitarJul. 20, 19824,919,029Asymmetric Insert Loaded StringedApr. 24, 1990InstrumentD351,181Ergonomic GuitarOct. 04, 1994D314,783Guitar BodyFeb. 19, 1991D256,026GuitarJul. 22, 1980
Stringed instruments also have enjoyed the imagination of instrument makers in the context of wide variability in the design of such instruments. Following is a listing of various types of stringed instruments and, in particular, guitars which employ multiple variations in terms of their design:
PatentTitleIssue Date6,649,818Multiple Neck Integral Body MusicalNov. 18, 2003Instrument3,392,618Multirange Fretted Guitar TypeMar. 18, 1966Instrument2,250,402GuitarAug. 26, 19401,684,467Stringed Musical InstrumentApr. 30, 19231,183,369GuitarMay 16, 1916D964,660Stringed Musical InstrumentJul. 19, 1910D224,567Stringed Musical InstrumentAug. 01, 1972D224,566Stringed Musical InstrumentAug. 01, 1972D222,562Stringed Musical InstrumentNov. 02, 1971D28,300Harp-Guitar FrameFeb. 15, 18986,667,431Stringed InstrumentDec. 23, 20036,608,247Stringed Musical Instrument withAug. 19, 2003Soundbox Extension5,251,526Rotating Electrical StringedOct. 12, 1993Instrument4,616,550String Support and Neck Device forOct. 14, 1986Stringed Instrument4,606,255Hayashi et al.Aug. 19, 19863,858,480Schneider et al.Jan. 07, 1975D812,049Musical InstrumentFeb. 06, 1906D767,023Musical InstrumentAug. 09, 1904D552,116Stringed Musical InstrumentDec. 31, 1895D474,120Stringed InstrumentMay 03, 1892D417,691Electric GuitarDec. 14, 1999D311,413Guitar BodyOct. 16, 1990D293,118GuitarDec. 08, 1987D277,292Solid Body GuitarJan. 22, 1985D52,539Musical InstrumentOct. 08, 1918D45,566Musical InstrumentApr. 07, 1914D32,088Violin BodyJan. 01, 1900D26,424MandolinDec. 22, 1896
While there is a wide variety of designs for stringed instruments including guitars, to address multiple concerns such as playability, comfort, sound quality and the like, there has developed, with the advent of the electric types of instruments, a need for improved ergonomic benefits along with a desire to provide unique designs. With this background, the present invention was conceived.